Memorial

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On 5 June 1946, a comrade, Arnold Rankela, wrote a letter to Pfc Elam's mother, telling her what happened on that tragic day:
“We were moving from one place to another not actually fighting so it was just another ‘road march’ when the accident occurred. He was the assistant driver and bowgunner in one of the tanks. While moving, another tank came down the road and the road not any being too wide for two tanks so they had to drive very close to the trees lined on the sides of the road. A large low hanging branch hit the top of the tank and spun it around and the large gun on the tank hit John on the side of the head. It just so happened that he was standing up enjoying the sights instead of sitting so his head and shoulders were out of the hatch. If he had been down as he generally is when moving the gun would not had hit him. It was just a pure accident. We got him out in a hurry but he was out so he didn’t say a word. The doctors worked on him and they rushed him to a field hospital but we heard the following day he had died without coming-to.”

According to the After Action Report of the 5th Armored Division, CCA, to which the 34th Tank Battalion was assigned, moved from Calvörde via Gifhorn, Wesondorf to Hankensbûttel to an assembly area in the vicinity of Knesebeck. The tragic event must have taken place on this route.

The exact place of the field hospital where Pfc Elam was treated and died, is not known.